In recent years, the demand for high performance batteries has increased, driven in part by the increasingly large number of portable consumer electronics products and growing needs of batteries for fuel efficient vehicles. Lithium-ion cells are found in many applications requiring high energy and high power densities, as they can provide high volumetric and gravimetric efficiency in batteries and battery packs. Such batteries and battery packs can be used in many applications, for example in portable electronic devices and in fuel-saving vehicles.
These batteries and battery packs are generally arranged in the form of electrically interconnected individual battery modules containing a number of individual battery cells. The battery modules are generally connected to an electrical control system to provide a desired available voltage, ampere-hour, and/or other electrical characteristics to a vehicle. However, although normally self-contained, lithium-ion cells can cause safety issues and even explode due to events including short circuiting, overcharging, and overheating.
Therefore, there is a need to develop designs and methods for improving the safety of electrochemical cells and battery modules including electrochemical cells. The present disclosure satisfies these and other needs.